Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #3 - Marvel

This was the last b/w mag I bought at Wizard World Philadelphia. I had managed to buy every issue of Marvel's pretty-good Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction magazine, except for this one, so when I found it for a mere four bucks I was thrilled!

Although the cover by Mike Whelan is fairly dull(a rarity for UWOSF), this issue's contents are anything but. Starting off with a fanciful frontspiece by Gray Morrow is a intro text piece "A Night at the Space Opera" by editor Roy Thomas, whose guiding hand and love of sci-fi is felt in every issue of this series.

As with the other issues, there's a wrap-around sequence that starts things off, adapting the "Snow Glass" concept by Bob Shaw, about a humble antiques dealer named Sandson O.Tyme(!), in whose crystal balls these stories reside. This segment, like the others, is written by our pal Tony "The Tiger" Isabella, and drawn by Gene Colan with inks by Frank Chiaramonte. This time Sandson is visited by a being from space, who has a great interest in his crystal ball.

The first story told is "Occupation Force", adapted from a Frank Herbert story, by Gerry Conway, George Perez, and Klaus Janson, a fun, Twilight Zone-ish tale about alien vistiors and the accompanying panic by our leaders. In just five pages it has time for a twist ending, plus cameos by President Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger!

The next tale, "...Not Long Before the End", adapted by a story by Larry Niven, is by Doug Moench and a great art job by Vicente Alcazar. It's about a brutal barbarian(seems redundant)--he kills a sleeping woman in the first few pages--and his fight with a sorcerer over time, and how their battle--magic vs. brute force--predicts the future of the world's civilization.

Next is a text interview with "Dune" creator Frank Herbert, who talks at length about his process and work. "Gestation" is written and drawn by Bruce Jones, with the whole tale--about some space explorers visiting a new world--being revealed via journal entries. The sheer amount of wordage in this story is almost overwheling, especially since its written all in cursive! As you might guess, things start out wonderfully but it doesn't stay that way.

The final tale is the infamous adaptation of Harlan Ellison's "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said The Tick-Tock Man" by Roy Thomas an Alex Nino. I say "infamous" because Ellison himself critiqued Nino's work on the tale, saying something to the effect that Nino's loose, free-flowing(to say the least!) style didn't work on a tale about horrfying societal rigidity(I'm just paraphrasing, Harlan! Don't sue!). Thomas later defended Nino's work in the pages of Back Issue!, and while I'm not sure either one of them is 100% right, Nino's work in this story is breathtaking. The sheer amount of detail and action he puts into this seventeen-page tale is astounding.

The issue wraps up back in Sandson's shop, and we find out why this mysterious alien stranger is here. I won't reveal the ending here, but when the "Space Magi" is visited by another from his home world, the result is genuinely touching. It's only three pages, but it provides a fine wrap-up to the issue. Nice job, Isabella and Colan!

We end with the letters page with comments on the debut issue. While the result is mostly positive, I'm constantly amazed at the rudeness by some of the letters sent in. I guess these readers grew up, had kids, and then those kids continued that slash-and-burn tradition on the internet. Sure, the first issue of UWOSF may not have been your cup of tea; but no need to write in acting as though Roy Thomas and his team are a bunch of no-talent hacks. Sheesh!

All told, not a bad issue, but I think my favorite tale was the wraparound. I'm glad I finally got to complete this series!